Those They Left Behind
by Alexandereana Blue
Summary: What the fellowship discusses one night.


Those They Left Behind  
  
by, Alexandereana Blue  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing and made nothing. I have nothing so please don't try to sue me! (No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.)  
  
Aragorn stirred the dying embers of the evening's fire with a stick. He was taking the first watch of the evening, and the rest of the fellowship was supposed to be resting peacefully. They had only been out of Rivendell for a week and they hadn't run into any serious trouble yet. But for some reason, he felt restless and was happy that his watch would not be up terribly soon, because he would not be able to rest anyway. He tossed some twigs on the coals and hoped that the dancing flames would lift his spirits.  
  
Aragorn heard a heavy sigh to his left and turned to see the dwarf Gimli sitting up and turning to watch the fire.  
  
"Feeling restless, master dwarf?' Aragorn inquired.  
  
Gimli let out a snort and glared at Aragorn in reply.  
  
"I seem to have the same problem," a soft musical voice came from Aragorn's right. He and Gimli turned to see Legolas, the elf, sitting up as well. As usual, his movements had been silent.  
  
Within a few moments the rest of the fellowship were sitting up as well. For some time the nine were quiet and seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Pippin broke the silence.  
  
"What are you thinking about, Strider?" he asked Aragorn. "You look so sad."  
  
"About what I left behind," Aragorn answered.  
  
"Arwen," Legolas muttered with a tiny smile.  
  
"I would be careful of what I say if I were you, Legolas," Gandalf chuckled. "Someone may decide to ask you how many elvish maidens are waiting for you in Mirkwood."  
  
"Probably one for every year of his life," Boromir laughed.  
  
"No," Legolas said flatly and put an end to the elf baiting before it really had a chance to start.  
  
"It must be hard for you be away from her," he said to Aragorn after a moment of thought. "There is no doubt in my mind that she loves you dearly."  
  
"Come now!" Aragorn suddenly burst out. "I cannot be the only one of the company that left someone behind!"  
  
For a moment the fellowship was quiet. Some pretended to have not heard the comment and others just looked rather uncomfortable.  
  
"Surely all of you have had a woman that you loved at one point or another in your lives," Aragorn asked more softly.  
  
"Surely, you have someone Sam!' Merry joked. "Oh wait, you would rather just go home to the garden dirt."  
  
"Well for your information, Meriadoc Brandybuck, there is someone that I would like to return home to!" snapped Sam. "That is should we ever return. And if you don't mind, I would rather not say more than that!"  
  
"No one will ask you to," laughed Aragorn. "However, I do expect our friend Merry to tell us about his lost love."  
  
"Well, alright," Merry said squirming under everyone else's gaze. "Her name was Daisy. She was my maiden of the Shire. Sadly, she become ill 4 years ago and never recovered. She finally passed on last winter."  
  
"I remember her," Frodo said softly. "She was such a sweet girl."  
  
"When I was very young, there was a lass that loved more than anything," Gimli began slowly. He smiled as he recalled the memory. "My beard had barely began to grow when our courtship began. She had sleek black hair that was as soft as silk, eyes the color of jasper and skin the same hue as fresh milk."  
  
Suddenly the smile on Gimli's lips disappeared and his voice trembled as he continued. "She was such a strong girl. And she had an eye for stones. That's why she would go into the mines with her father. One day she went with him promising to bring back her mother a beautiful stone for a broach. Something went wrong and there was an accident in the tunnel. Neither she nor her father escaped that day. I have not had the desire to court another since that time."  
  
"When I was very young, I was betrothed to a girl named Eollyn," Boromir sad softly. "But she eloped with a farmer. I was actually rather thankful for that. I never cared much for her. When I got a little older I was rather fond of a girl named Aisling and she had feelings for me too. But her family felt that it was better for her to be married to a rich merchant and it turned out that they were right. Last I heard they were both happy and well."  
  
"How about you Gandalf?" Pippin asked. One could easily tell that he was enjoying everyone's stories of lost loves.  
  
"I have no story to tell, Peregrin Took," Gandalf replied with one of his all knowing smiles. "And if I did I would not tell you."  
  
A few laughs and chuckles erupted from the circle. Unfortunately, this did nothing to stop Pippin.  
  
"What about you, Legolas?" he asked the elf.  
  
As Legolas told his story his expression was blank and his voice was steady, but the tears that were brimming in his eyes told the listener that even now the wound was deep and raw.  
  
"I was barely one hundred years old when I first realized that what I felt was love," he voice was barely a whisper but the fellowship heard every word. "We had known each other since before we could walk and talk, but I never understood what I was feeling until that century had passed. We had only two hundred years together before she left middle earth and sailed across the sea with her kin. She asked me to go with her, but I refused. I thought that I would heal quickly and perhaps find a new more powerful love. I never expected that that would not be the case. I have not spoken of her in about one thousand years, but there has not been a single day since her departure that I have not thought of her. Her face has never faded from my memory. I would give all of my earthly possessions for one last taste of her lips. I would happily give up my life in exchange for one more day of the bliss that I had with her."  
  
"I guess that I'm the lucky one," Frodo said softly. "I have never been in love."  
  
"Oh you're not alone in that," Pippin said patting Frodo on the back. "I may have liked Celandine a bit when we were younger, but she didn't like me at all. And other than that I can't think of a single hobbit lass that I had feelings for. Mind you, there were a few elvish maidens in Rivendell who could have stolen my heart."  
  
This last comment caused a few more laughs from the fellowship before everyone settled into a more relaxed state of mind.  
  
"Well, gentlemen," Aragorn said at last, "what advice do you all have for me?"  
  
"Dance with her," Merry said.  
  
"Sing to her," Pippin laughed.  
  
"Don't let anyone stand in your way," Sam said gruffly.  
  
"And don't go off on any more crazy adventures," added Frodo.  
  
"See that she has the best even if it means that you are not going to be together," Boromir said much more seriously.  
  
"Love her as though each day is your last," Gimli said thoughtfully. "You never know when the last day you have together will be, so waste none of them.'  
  
"Do not let her sail across the sea," Legolas said softly, and gave a rather forced looking smile.  
  
"Always listen to your heart when dealing with her," Gandalf said gently. As always, his advice sounded the most sincere and wise of all given.  
  
The rest of the evening was spent in silence and the members of the fellowship drifted off to sleep one by one. They never spoke of the things that they had discussed that night again, but none of them ever forgot it either. 


End file.
